NSW Government announces changes to Native Veg Act

NSW Farmers say Andrew Stoner and his coalition partners got into government on the promise of changes to Native Vegetation Legislation; they say the latest changes do not fulfill their election promises.

ABC file

It's the announcement that's doesn't seem to be suiting anyone.

The NSW Farmers' Association has already spoken up in annoyance at the latest move from the NSW Government to change the Native Vegetation of 2003, saying it's not helpful to tinker with a piece of legislation that is fundamentally flawed.

And Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner agrees that environmental groups will be unlikely to welcome any move to water down the stringent requirements of the Native Vegetation Act.

But that's what the government has released today; a suite of three self assessable codes they say will streamline processes for farmers who want to manage their properties for profit.

The codes apply to the following activities;

Managing invasive native species, commonly known as woody weeds - native plants that have regenerated thickly or which have invaded vegetation communities where they did not previously occur,

Clearing of isolated paddock trees in cultivated areas, except in the event that the species is endangered or providing habitat for important threatened animal species. This code is balanced by the requirement for 'set aside' of existing areas of native vegetation.

Mr Stone says he's aware that today's announcement is not what either farmers or environmentalists want to hear, but he says he figures that if both sides of the argument aren't completely happy, his government might have struck the right balance.

NSW Farmers President Fiona Simson says although there may be some instances where the native vegetation codes will help, most farmers will find them frustrating, unworkable and difficult to understand.

She says the codes just simply cannot work given the Native Vegetation Act is a completely broken piece of legislation.

She says that it's clear that the Coalition Government came to power without a plan on native vegetation reform despite all its promises to sort the issue out.